Mirror
by Mitsje
Summary: Based on the artwork of Rikayu. Sesshoumaru decides to put up an alleged cursed mirror. What unfortune will it bring him?
1. Chapter 1

AN: I don't own anything about InuYasha or it characters, that honour belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. I also do not own the artwork which this work of fiction was based on, that belongs to Rikayu, and can be found here: http:// dokuga. com /gallery? func=detail&id=972 (remove spaces). I am intending this story to have 5 chapters, and none of them will be very long. Probably. We'll see where it goes, right? As allways, thanks to my muse and sounding board, Shimaira. Reviews are greatly appreciated!

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It had been a part of the dowry that had come with her. However, his wife insisted on it being put away somewhere, so that she never had to look upon it. When he asked her about this curious behavior, her eyes had widened, then narrowed, and she had spoken in a hushed voice that it had been cursed.

They had been newlyweds, and he had indulged her. He'd instructed the housekeepers to move it to the attic and cover it up, before leaving on their honeymoon. He had never thought of it again.

Not until several years later.

His wife had left with his stepbrother, on an extended trip. If he were to believe the rumors spread by the maids, he would not see her again. He didn't care too much. Aside from their daughter, nothing good had come from marrying that woman. Still, gossip was never good for ones reputation, and his reputation was very dear to him. So, in a fit of rage, he had torn through the house, stripping it of everything that was hers. When he came to the attic, he stumbled across it for the first time in seven years. He had taken of the sheet that had been covering it for so long, ignoring the dust that spilled richly from it. He stared at it for a little while, before lifting it from its resting place and taking it down to the hallway. He replaced the one that was already hanging there with it, and allowed himself a sly grin. If she were ever to come back, this would surely spite her. He stared at his reflection for a little while longer, and then turned his back on it. He had better things to do than look into a mirror all day.


	2. The Lady in the Mirror

AN: Still don't own anything about this, apart from the story itself. Caracters are c Rumiko Takahashi, artwork that inspired this belongs to Rikayu, and can be found here: http:// dokuga. com /gallery? func=detail&id=972 (remove spaces). Reviwes are greatly appreciated!

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Whispers had started going around the house. Some of the servants had begun to avoid the hall, and nobody went near the mirror if they did not have to. Sesshoumaru paid no mind to their hysterical stories about shadows moving within. They were just old wives tales, nothing more. He was, as the master of the house, above these things. So, he went about his business as he always did, ignoring the worried looks that were thrown his way when he fixed his tie and jacket in the mirror before going out.

As none of the maids was going near the mirror anymore, the part of the hall where it was situated became gradually more dusty and cobwebbed. Sesshoumaru decided to see how long they would let it be, but he was not a patient man. When he had finally become fed up with their behavior, he scolded the head of the household, and forced her to appoint someone to clean the mirror regularly. The task was given to one of the newer servants, a young man who, as he said himself, "was not afraid of some moving figures in some antique looking glass." It took no more than an hour for him to run screaming away from the hall, yelling that a witch had looked upon him when he had been removing the cobwebs from the mirror, and that she had tried to put a spell on him. He was fired at once.

After that, there were no more sightings of strange shadows or wicked witches, and life returned to normal in the household. Until, one day, Sesshoumaru found his daughter right in front of the mirror, talking to it. When he asked her what she was doing, she answered that she was talking to the lady in the mirror. While he was glad that his daughter still had her energy and fantasy after her mother had left, he was livid with the servants for putting ideas in her head. If she were not such a resilient little girl, she could have well been scared out of her mind. He would have to discuss this with the head of the household, but now, it was time to put his daughter to bed.

"Come Rin, it is time to go to sleep," he said to her.

"But the lady in the mirror will be lonely," she said, "and she has already been lonely for so long."

He decided to play along in her innocent story. "Has she told you this?"

"No, of course not," his daughter said indignantly, "she can speak, but you can't hear her."

"Then how do you know she has been lonely?"

"Because I can tell. It is in her eyes," came the sage response. He simply nodded with a small smile. When he tucked her into bed, she stared up to him with her big brown eyes.

"Will you save her, daddy?"

"Save who, Rin?"

"The lady in the mirror."

He stared back at his daughter for a moment, before sighing and nodding his head.

"I shall see what I can do."

Rin smiled, and closed her eyes, ready to go to sleep. Just as Sesshoumaru turned off the lights and was about to step out of the room, he heard her voice.

"Kagome."

"What did you say, Rin?"

"That's her name, the lady in the mirror. Her name is Kagome."

He nodded once more, and then left her room in search of the head of the household. He had a bone to pick with her.

When he had finished scolding her and the rest of the staff for telling his little girl ghost stories, he was met only with indignation. They had not told the little miss anything, they said, and they had not seen anything moving within the mirror themselves for some time now. According to the head of the staff, an ugly little fellow by name of Jaken, it must be the girl's own imagination that there had been a woman in the mirror. Sesshoumaru had, in the end, no choice but to agree with this. He decided to just let Rin live her little fantasy, and not pay too much attention to it. She would grow tired of it soon enough.


	3. Darkness and Light

AN: See previous chapters for disclaimer. Reviews are greatly appreciated!

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His assessment of his daughter's obsession with the mirror and it's supposed inhabitant had been wrong. It was months now since she first spoke of the lady within, and her stories were only getting more elaborate. She was now telling everyone who would listen to her of this Kagome person, and how she had been trapped inside the mirror since she was a child. Though she was still insisting on the fact that one could not hear the lady speak, she was speaking of things she could never know if that were true. One night, when Sesshoumaru was growing quite weary with her fantasies, he asked her how she could know all these things if she could not actually hear the lady speak. She told him that the lady just put the thoughts in her head, so that she could tell everyone about her. This was the last straw for him. He would not let his servants, or anyone else for that matter, deem his daughter crazy. Though he was loathe to admit it, his servants and apparently, his wife as well, had been right about the mirror, and he should put it away again.

Finding no servants present, he decided he might just as well do it himself. As he descended the stairs that lead to the dark hall, he could have sworn he heard something rustle along the carpet, but when he held out the little oil lamp he was carrying, he could not discern any movement. Attributing it to the late hour and his own imagination, he advanced further down the stairs. He lighted the lamps in the hall, illuminating the entire room, bathing it in fiery colors and creating flickering shadows of himself on the walls. Finding himself alone with the mirror, he took a little time to observe it more closely than he had before.

It had an ornate frame, decorated with swirls and flowers of crafty woodwork. It was carved out of ebony, making it a brown so dark it was virtually black. The frame was almost as tall as Sesshoumaru himself, and nearly twice as wide. It was really an outstanding piece of work, but upon actually looking into the mirror, he found nothing else than his own reflection gazing back upon him. There were no ladies, monsters or anything there, just himself and the reflection of the rest of the hall. Of course, it was not as if he had been expecting anything else.

He put his lamp down on a table standing beside the mirror, and grabbed the frame to hoist it off the wall. A sudden gust of wind blew out every light in the hall. He took a step back, but before he could properly lower his arms and turn around, he felt cold hands grabbing him right under his elbows, and starting to pull him back towards the mirror.

"_You must turn the lights back on!"_

The thought came seemingly out of nowhere, but kept repeating itself in his head. With all his might, he started working against the pull of the hands grabbing at him, but the more he struggled, the more hands seemed to join the pair that was already firmly attached to his person, and he was steadily being dragged towards the mirror.

"_Be ready, I'll buy you some time!"_

Again, the thought bounced around in his head, and before he could process it well and good, a flash came from inside the mirror. An unearthly howl followed it, resonating through the hall, and just as sudden as they had come, the hands disappeared, and he was able to light one of the lamps in the hall. Stunned, he chanced a look at the mirror. He could barely believe his own eyes.

There stood, as clearly as he could see the rest of the hall, a woman in front of him. She was a full head shorter than he was, with long black hair cascading down her shoulders. She was wearing a yellow gown, which contrasted nicely with her piercing blue eyes. She seemed to be out of breath, but she was wearing a serene smile on her face.

"_You must be Lord Sesshoumaru. Your daughter Rin has told me much about you." _


	4. Conversations

AN: Still don't own it. A belated thanks go out to Shimaira, for being my ever patient muse and personal library for anything that has to do with the occult.

Being an admirable man from high social standing, Sesshoumaru had a reputation to uphold. He had to attend parties, had to host parties, mingle with other elites. Apart from that, he had a daughter to raise, a household to run and manage the land he inherited from his father. He did not mind these obligations, but they did keep him from investigating the mirror any further than he had that night when he had first seen _her. _

That night, when she had stood smiling at him, he had found himself unable to comprehend just what was going on. Uncharacteristically, he had found himself at a loss of words and it was all he could do to just stare at her standing there, with that happy look on her face, practically beaming at him. In a way, her cheeriness at being stuck in a mirror scared him.

_"I am so glad to finally meet you. Your daughter tells me you are a most capable man." _

It was an utterly strange sensation, having thoughts in his head that were not his own. He decided he did not like it. But, as he could not simply ignore his apparent delirium, he would have to endure it.

_"You will have to speak in order for us to talk. This mind-talking seems to only work one way."_

"I see. Your name is Kagome, correct?"

_"Ah! Rin has told you about me? She is such a sweet girl."_

"Yes, she has told me about you. However, there is much that she did not tell me. I have a lot of questions for you, woman."

The smile she had still been wearing disappeared from her face. She nodded, and assured Sesshoumaru she would do the best she could to answer all his questions, on one condition.

When asked what that condition might be, she smiled again, but warily this time.

_"That you keep a light burning in front of the mirror at all times, especially during the night."_

"And why should I do such a thing?"

The wan smile disappeared all together, and fear seemed to leak into her eyes.

_"Because shadows won't come near light." _

After recovering herself from whatever stupor she had been thrown in, she told Sesshoumaru everything she knew. How she had been trapped inside the mirror for as long as she could remember, but that she did know there had been a time when she had been free. She had no idea how she had gotten inside, and no idea on how to get out. She told him how when she had first been seen in the mirror, the owner at that time did not know how quick she had to cover it up and send it to some uninhabited room, never to be looked upon again. That the same thing happened every time the mirror switched owner. Rin had been the first person she had ever talked to as far as she could remember. She had, however, already found out that people outside of the mirror could not hear her, no matter how hard she scre amed.

She told him the hands that had grabbed him belonged to the shadow-creatures that lived inside the mirror as well. They only came out at night, and she had never before seen them interact with the world outside the mirror as they had done with him. They seemed to be harmless to her, as long as she kept out of their way. If she didn't… she shuddered and did not continue after that.

Sesshoumaru didn't know what to think of it all. Either he had somehow let his mind become addled, or there really was a woman living in his mirror, along with a herd of shadow monsters that grabbed at him in the darkness. As he fought with his mind to comprehend all of it, and come up with a logical explanation, a girlish giggle sounded through the hall. Narrowing his yes upon the woman before him, he warned het with an impressive glare.

"Do not think to mock this Sesshoumaru, woman."

At first he thought his glare had done the trick, as she stepped back, eyes wide with surprise, mouth open in shock. But it was only when that mouth began to move, he realized he was mistaken.

"Do you mean… you can hear me?"


	5. Friends and whishes

AN: don't own anything, just the story. Long overdue, but I still intend to finish this.

Despite Sesshoumaru's initial decision not to get involved in anything relating to the mirror, he now found himself unable to think of anything else. He was obsessed with the mystery surrounding it and it's inhabitant. And his social contacts were beginning to take notice of this. While he had attended several social gatherings, get-togethers and the occasional ball since he had first seen Kagome, he never seemed to be completely focused on the conversations he was drawn into. His friends, if you could call them that, had thought nothing of it at first, chalking it up to his wife leaving him for his step-brother. This had been a grateful source of gossip over the last few months, because of course everybody who was anybody had heard of this before Sesshoumaru himself knew.

Before long, however, rumor had it that Sesshoumaru had turned into a recluse, spending most of his time in his personal library, pouring over old scripts concerning the occult. And while this was a very interesting subject, his circle of acquaintances were not very fond of his new hobby, and Sesshoumaru found himself being invited less and less to any kind of meeting.

Not that he cared, particularly. He had never been a people's person, it was just part of his duty to keep up the social bonds to society. Besides, they were all of them, except for maybe one or two, more his wife's friends anyway. And he felt no obligation to keep up appearances with people who kept making underhanded comments about said wife leaving him.

A few weeks later found him in a dusty bookshop somewhere in the backstreets of town, were he had been told that some rare book was to be found. Having already finished all the books in his library that might have led to something and came up with nothing, Sesshoumaru was forced to call in help from one his own friends, who was known for his interest in anything not of this world. His friend had then insisted to come with him, as he knew the shopkeeper and would be able to get him a good deal. Sesshoumaru, by no means a person in need of money, had told him this was unnecessary, but Miroku would have nothing of it. When he confided in Sesshoumaru that the shopkeeper had a daughter that he, Miroku, thought very highly of, the young lord realized he was fighting a lost battle, and had relented.

So, while his friend was talking in hushed tones with the daughter of the storeowner, making her turn various shades of red, Sesshoumaru was leafing through the book that could just tell him about the mirror. He saw many a spell and curse come by – bringing someone back from the dead by using clay and bones, having someone sleep for fifty something years, or even concealing whole realms into something no bigger than a marble- but nothing about dragging someone into a mirror to have them spend eternity there. He related this to Miroku, who then nodded sagely, and suggested they leave, under some protest of the daughter.

"You seem to have found yourself quite a mystery, my friend," spoke the self-appointed oracle, "tell me, what exactly is so special about this mirror?"

Sesshoumaru pondered on telling him. While he was not fond of his social duties, he did have an obligation to not completely ruin his reputation, and spreading word that he was seeing women appearing in mirrors when he looked at them would do it no good. Then again, if anyone were to take him seriously, it would be Miroku. In the end, he decided he would tell him and did so when they were having lunch in his dining room.

Miroku listened intently, and at the end of the story, he had a very serious look on his face, and was deep in thought for a few minutes. Then, with a twinkle in his eye, he looked up at Sesshoumaru and declared that he simply had to see this for himself. Of course, Sesshoumaru had been prepared for this, and took him into the hall. There, Miroku spent the first few minutes of admiring the frame, before actually looking into the mirror itself. When he found Kagome looking back at him, he was startled, even though he had been prepared for it. Staring at her for a bit, he turned back to Sesshoumaru.

"My dear friend, I must confess, when you, of all people, told me that tale just now, I thought you had gone completely out of your mind. That, or you were pulling on of the most elaborate pranks in history."

"When have you even known this Sesshoumaru to kid around?"

"True, true. And you seem most lucid, I dare say. Which leaves me completely stunned at finding this beautiful woman in this mirror."

He turned back to Kagome and smiled, which she happily returned. Sesshoumaru could not believe his friend was actually being flirtatious with a woman in another realm of being. Deciding to cut to the chase, he asked if Miroku knew anything about this sort of spell.

"I am grieved to say that I don't. But I know a woman-"

"You know many women, Miroku, and this one is not sure that any of them will be of help in this situation."

"I know a woman," Miroku continued as if uninterrupted, "who may know more about this. She is an exorcist, and a most capable one at that. Shall I bring her over next time?"

While Sesshoumaru was debating whether there would be a next time, Kagome was calling for him to please let the woman come. Relenting once again to someone else's whishes, he gave Miroku permission to seek this woman out. He realized he was growing soft.


	6. Attack

AN: When Rikayu uploads a picture as inspiring as this: http:/ .com/ gallery?func=detail&id=4187, how can I not immediately want to write a chapter based on it? Anyway, I don't own anything, not InuYasha, any of it characters, not the artwork this story was based on, just the story itself. Enjoy!

The woman Miroku had recommended, called Sango, turned out to be one of his many lady-friends. While she studied the mirror thoroughly, Miroku never took his eyes of her backside, a contended smile on his face. Kagome was watching Sango scurrying around curiously, and Sesshoumaru was watching them all from his corner in the hallway. The woman was less than civilized to him, almost hostile, as if it was his fault Kagome was trapped inside the mirror. When Miroku had tried to explain that this was not the case, she just waved her hand, as if to wave the arguments away, and continued her investigation. When she was done, she spoke to him in clipped and hushed tones.

"This girl's soul has been trapped inside the mirror. Her family has most probably forgotten to cover it when she died."

"She is dead, then?" Sesshoumaru asked, making sure Kagome could not hear him.

Sango looked at him as if he was lacking in intellect. "Yes. It is commonly known that the soul of a dying person will be trapped in any mirror in the house if they are not covered. Sometimes, families neglect to do this out of malice towards the dying person, but I cannot tell if this was the case here."

"Is there any way to retrieve her?"

"I do not know, I will research this. However, you told me there are also shadows moving within?"

"Yes. They seem to be able to interact with this side of the mirror at night. What can you tell me about them?"

"They are other souls that have been trapped inside a mirror at a time. As time passes, they turn into shades." She glanced back at Kagome. "I cannot say how long she still has like this. The process of turning is different for every soul."

Sesshoumaru nodded. "I see. Then I ask you to hurry with your research into retrieving her."

Sango nodded impatiently. "Yes, of course." She turned to Miroku. "Can I count on your help for this?"

Miroku smiled, finally looking at her face, and assured her that she could. Sango gave them both a curt nod before briskly departing. Miroku turned to his friend.

"Well, what do you think of this?"

"While I do not know what to make of her, her story sounds solid. All I can hope for now is a way of rescuing Kagome from the fate she described."

Miroku nodded, and made to depart. "What will you do with her once you rescue her, I wonder?" he asked as he stepped outside and closed the door behind him.

Sesshoumaru suddenly had a whole new thing to ponder about.

That night, Sesshoumaru was woken by muffled cries and the sounds of glass breaking. Surpsried by his surroundings, he discovered that he had apparently fallen asleep in his study. Shaking the last remnants of drowsiness from himself, he rushed down to the hall as he heard more ruckus. While making his was down the stairs, he noted that someone had neglected to light the small oil-lamp that he had ordered to be put beside the mirror.

"Don't come down here!" he heard Kagome's panicked voice call out before he felt a sharp pain in his head. He staggered backwards and tripped onto the stairway. Immediately, he felt various hands grabbing him on both arms and legs, pushing him down. Struggling fruitlessly to get up, he heard a swishing sound before something cut into his side with a sharp object. He let out a roar of pain, before being stifled by cold, clammy hands. He heard Kagome calling out to him, but found himself unable to answer. The hands holding him seemed to possess an inhuman strength, and the cutting pain in his side was not doing him any good either.

Suddenly, the room was bathed in light, and otherworldly screeches came from within the mirror. He was released, and the hands that had been holding him seemed to dissolve into thin air. He looked up and saw his head of the household, holding a oil-lamp and shivering from head to toe. She was white as a sheet, and as Sesshoumaru got up, she screamed at his state. He looked down at himself, and discovered that he was covered in blood, coming from a deep wound in his side. When he inspected it gingerly, he discovered a glass shard imbedded deep inside it. He was surprised to see it came from the oil-lamp that had stood beside the mirror, but now lay shattered on the floor, the oil spilled over the carpet. The head of house was still wailing about his wounds, and he was growing annoyed with her.

"Woman, cease your cries. Go and rouse the doctor three homes down, I seem to be in need of some medical attention."

The woman instantly quieted, handed him the oil-lamp and sped out the door. She was honestly just glad to be away from the mirror which had brought them such un-fortune.

Sesshoumaru shook his head as she slammed the door behind her, and turned to the mirror as he heard stifled sobs coming it. Kagome had slid down to the floor on her side, and was holding her head in hands as her entire body shook with her sobs. He sat down in front of her, absently noting that he was also bleeding from a gash on his forehead.

"Kagome," he called softly," Kagome, look at me."

She lifted her head, tears rolling silently down her cheeks.

"Did they hurt you in any way?"

She shook her head. "N-no," she managed between sobs, "they only held me back."

He nodded. "Good. Do you have any idea why they did this?"

"I don't know. I have never seen them do anything like this."

He contemplated for a bit. "It could be because they somehow know I am trying to save you."

This brought new tears to her eyes. "Then you must stop it! I want to be free, but not at your expense! Not like this!" She broke down in sobs again.

Sesshoumaru regarded her for a while. He decided she should know what he had been told by Sango.

"You will eventually turn into of them," he said quietly.

She froze for a second, before looking up at him. "What?" she asked in a shaky voice.

He sighed. "The woman that was here today. She tells me your soul has been trapped inside this mirror as a result of your family not covering it up as you died." He fell silent as she stared at her hands in horror.

"I'm dead?" she whispered.

He nodded solemnly. "It appears so."

They were both silent for a while. Then, Kagome spoke up again.

"And, I will turn into… a shadow?"

"Yes, that is what the woman said. The other shadows are also souls that have been trapped in the same manner as you were."

Kagome nodded absently, a glassy look in her eyes. He gave her a moment before calling her attention again.

"I will find a way to save you, Kagome. Whatever the costs."

She looked up at him, a mixture of fear and awe on her face. She stared into his determined face, still covered in blood. Nothing was going to change his mind, she thought.

"Okay," she whispered hoarsely, "please, save me."


End file.
